Art of perforating and severing metals



arch 31, 1925. 1,531,555

J. W. HARRIS ET AL ART OF PERFORATING AND SEVERING METALS Filed July 31, 1924 Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

JOSEfH W. HARRIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND HARRISON E. PATTEN, OF SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND.

ART OF PERFORATIN G AND SEVER-ING METALS.

Application filed July 31, 1%}24. Serial No. 729,252.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J OSEPI-I W. HARRIS and HARRISON E. PATIEN, citizens of the United States, and residing at \Vashington,

5 District of Columbia, and Silver Spring, in the county of Montgomery and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Perforating and Severing Metals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of perforating and severing metals, such as sheet metal, metal beams, plates, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide a means to perforate or cut metal in desired shapes without the use of cutting tools, acetylene flames, electricity, or similar agencies requiring plant equipment and accessory appliances;

A further object is to provide a perforating or cutting means that is economical in time, and in cost of materials necessary to do the work;

A further object is to provide a perforating or cuttin means that is self-contained, and that can he placed upon the metal to be operated upon even though the metal be in a relatively inaccessible place;

A further object is to provide a perforating or cutting means which is small, convenient to handle, and may be prepared from its components at the place Where it is to be used; A further object is to provide a cartridgelike object, in various shapes containing sufficient latent energy which when liberated will perforate or sever the metal to be operated upon;

A further object is to provide a safe and convenient means 'ofperforating and severing metal, that is complete in itself, and does not re uire expert labor to operate it;

Further o jects will appear upon a reading of the specification.

The invention consists in placingpractically in contact with the metal to be perforated or severed, a body of a suitable anilite, or other high explosive, having a short time-factor, and having a base area of substantially the shape of the desired perforation, and also a mass sutlicient to contain enough latent energy which when liberated upon the localized area, will accomplish the required work. The anilite or other explosive used may be in liquid form,

or may be a 1i uid absorbed by an inert porous solid, suc as sil-o-cel, sawdust, paper pulp, asbestos, etc., or absorbed in a semi-solid material, such as a gelatinous mass or it may be a solid, or a composition or mixture of both liquid and solid anilites e or explosives, or combined anilite and other explos ve. If a liquid, or a soft gelatinous body, it should be placed in a container of the shape of the desired perforation; if

sufficiently solid or viscous to retain its shape for a reasonable time, such as certain waxes, or still putty, it may be shaped by hand or by moulds into a desired shape. A

suitable container for some cases would be Suitable anilites, or explosives, for this work, are mixtures of hydrocarbons, or hydrocarbon compounds, with substances rich in oxygen, which oxygen is readily released. A mixture of benzene and liquid nitrogen dioxid, NO in nearly molecular proportions, to insure a complete reaction, with a slight excess of one of the components when necessary to serve as a restrainer. The anilite or mixture with other explosives may be prepared at the place Where it is to be used; no

or with explosives which do not deteriorate rapidly, it may be made and shaped as desired at a factory and shipped to the place of use.

Other anilites than the mixture of benzene and nitrogen dioxid may be used; for example, mononitrobenzene and an oxid of nitrogen; dinitrobenzene and an oxid of nitrogen; naphthalene and an oxid of nitrogen; anthracene and an oxid of nitrogen;

alpha naphthol' and an oxid of nitrogen; beta naphthol and an oxid of nitrogen, also, substituted hydrocarbons, such as toluol, or substituted compounds of naphthalene, etc.,

may be used in place of the benzene; also, 1

such explosives as amatol, tri-nitro-toluol, or other exploslve which fires or explodes at an, exceedingly rapid rate, as distinpainted or 75 three-eighths of an inch thick.

guished from a slow firing explosive, may be used. It is preferable'that the anilite or other explosive, liberate essentially all of its latent energy at once, at an exceedingly rapid rate, thereby producing an exceedingly high temperature, with corresponding pressure, and considering the time-factor, representing a prodigiousamount of energy, the temperature being sutlicient to heat and volatilize matter immediately adjacent the charge, and pressure suliicient to blow out the volatilized matter. With a suitable anilite or other explosive, a roperly proportioned and shaped charge p aced upon a sheet of iron one-half inch thick will upon detonating, with a suitable detonating cap, perforate the iron, producing a hole Y substantially the size and shape of the cross section of the body of the explosive cartridge, with frequently a slight burr on the other side at the rim of the hole. A charge of anilite in a container, having a volume of about two hundred and fifty cubic centimeters, with a circular base of about two inches in diameter, perforated a steel plate In the accon'ipanying drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates a metal plate with a circular cartridge of explosive placed upon it;

Fig. 2 represents the metal plate showing the perforation produced by the explosive cartridge;

Figs. 3 and 4 show a metal plate bet'ore and after exploding a rectangular cartridge;

Fig. 5 illustrates a cross section of the plate showing a slight burr on one side;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate metal plates with explosive cartridges on both sides;

Fig. 9 shows a plate about to be severed by a flat explosive cartridge, and Fig. 10 after the plate has been severed;

Fig. 11 shows a plate to be perforated with a definite pattern, the cartridge. having the shape of the pattern;

Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate cross sections of cartridges. Fig. 11 having a uniform cross section, while Fig. 12 has a tapering cross section, towards the upper end;

Fig. 14 illustrates a plate to be perforated in more than one place at the same time, the explosives being set off electrically;

Fig. 15 illustrates the temporary application of masses of metal on the reverse side of the beam to be perforated to increase the inertia of the beam; an explosive cartridge is shown placed on the working side.

In Fig. 1, upon a plate of metal 1 to be perforated, is placed an explosive cartridge 2 having a cross section similar to the perforation desired, in the illustration it is circular. The explosive may rest upon the plate, or ma be attached thereto by a thin ayer of ru ber cement, quick drying cement, etc, which will make a thin tight joint, and at the same time exclude air. A detonatmg cap orelectric fuse 3 1s shown embedded in the cartridge.

Fig. 2 illustrates the perforated plate tridges assembled into a unit and fired simultaneously by electricity, as in Figs. 8, 11, 14. A'slight burr 6 is sometimes produced 0n the reverse side of the plate, as shown in Fig. 5, exaggerated.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the plates 1 are provided with explosive cartridges 7, 8, 9, on both sides, and fired electrically; this method is to be used for thicker metal, and serves also to apply the pressure on both sides; the perforation produced is slightly larger than with the explosive on one side only.

For severing a metal plate, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, a large fiat explosive cartridge 9 is provided, or several small ones, 10, assembled, and fired electrically. For cutting patterns in a plate, the cartridge may have the shape of the pattern, or may be assembled from several smaller cartridges, as shown at 11 in Fig. 11. In Figs. 12 and 13 are shown end views of explosive cartridges, Fig. 12 showing the sides parallel, while in Fig. 13 the sides taper toward the top, or outer edge, the base portion 20 to have the area of the desired perforation, and to be of larger area than the average cross section of the cartridge.

In Fig. 14 is shown the perforating of more than one hole at one time, by simultaneously exploding electrically a cartridge for each perforation.

In Fig. 15 is shown the application of masses of metals 15, suitably temporarily suspended by brackets 16 on the plate 1. A cartridge 17 is shown attached to the side opposite the weights, and between them.

The masses of metal need not be regularly used, but in special cases, it may be desirable to reduce any shock to a minimum.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of perforating or cutting metals, which comprises placing in close contact therewith a redetermined mass of preshaped high exp osive having a short timefactor, and detonating said high explosive.

2. The method of perforating or cutting metals which comprises placing in close contact therewith, a. predetermined mass of a high explosive having a short time-factor. said explosive having a base cross section of a shape and dimensions substantially equal to the area of the perforation or cut desired.

3. The method of perforating or cutting metals which comprises placing in close contact therewith a pre-determined mass of a high explosive having a short time factor, said explosive to have a firm air-excluding contact with-said metal, and detonating said explosive.

4. The method of perforating or cutting metals which comprises placing in close contact with the metal on both sides, pre-determined quantities of pre-shaped masses of explosive, and detonating said masses of explosive simultaneously.

5. The method of perforating or cutting designs or patterns in metal, which coinprises placing in close, contact with said metal, a predetermined mass of high explosignatures.

JOSEPH W. HARRIS, HARRISON E, PATTEN. 

